


a light of hope

by snowysatoru



Category: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship, eirika has gone through A Lot and she needs a Hug, mostly eirika's route to be more specific, spoilers for chapters 18-19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 07:39:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13608681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowysatoru/pseuds/snowysatoru
Summary: When the Sacred Stone of Renais shatters in the hands of the Demon King, so does any glimmer of hope Eirika may have had. When L'Arachel offers to pay a visit to her homeland of Rausten, she is giving more than just a place to stay for the time being.





	a light of hope

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Megan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megan/gifts).



> Hello again! This is for the Chocolate Box exchange that I am once again participating in! I was delighted to write for this ship, especially since it's become a favorite of mine since my playthrough of FE8! Hopefully I was able to do them justice. ;u;
> 
> I hope my giftee enjoys this as much as I enjoyed writing for these two lovely ladies!

Eirika could feel any ounce of hope that was left within her body drain away; as if it was held in Lyon’s hand, shattered along with the Sacred Stone of Renais. The encounter on Mt. Neleras was tiring enough as it was, and with the Sacred Stone gone, Eirika felt like she was played for a fool; a girl that was taken advantage of thanks to the sheer amount of kindness she possessed, and now she had to pay the price for being too nice for her own good.

 

The Renais princess almost felt relieved when L’Arachel made the decision of going to her homeland of Rausten. It was as if the other princess could see that Eirika was in need of a distraction and paying her home a visit seemed like the best option at this moment in time. Even with Ephraim shooting a worried glance here and there on the way to Rausten, L’Arachel told him that she had everything under control with comforting his sister. While skeptical, Ephraim still trusted her, as he himself didn’t even know how to cheer Eirika up, given her current state, despite being close with his own twin sister.

 

All he could hope for was that L’Arachel has better luck than what he’s had in hopes of lifting up Eirika’s spirits.

 

~~~

 

“Eirika?” L’Arachel asks, once the two of them are alone.

 

Eirika’s response was just a simple turn of her head; eyes red from fighting back tears that made their way down her cheeks anyway, - tears that have dried out since then - and the light in her bright blue eyes has gone dim. Eirika almost felt like a different person entirely, a contrast from when L’Arachel first met her.

 

Still, L’Arachel treaded carefully.

 

“What’s wrong, Eirika?” the Rausten princess asked once more, the tone of her voice softer than the first time, “Sadness such as this is unfitting for someone such as yourself.”

 

“My apologies, L’Arachel,” Eirika responds, trying to keep her voice steady however she can, “I’ve just...had a lot on my mind…”

 

“Do you mind sharing it with me?” L’Arachel questions. “If it’s alright with you, that is.”

 

“I…it’s just…” Eirika starts, a small hiccup escaping her as if she’s ready to start crying again.

 

“Hm?”

 

“I just feel so hopeless...of all the people that it could be, why does it have to be _Lyon_? One of my dearest friends...and I can’t do anything to save him.” Eirika responds, her hand hastily wiping one of the tears that began to form.

 

“Eirika…” The other princess whispers.

 

“L’Arachel, what do I even do now? Hell, what _can_ I do right now?”

 

L’Arachel simply looked at Eirika in silence, pondering on how to go through with her next action. She doesn’t remember ever seeing Eirika like this, so vulnerable and distraught (well, maybe she has, and Eirika did a really good job at hiding it during that time). War was horrible, and it had its consequences, but the expression painted on Eirika’s face said more than any amount of words ever could.

 

This was the face of a girl who war had taken more than just its toll on, and she’s grown tired of wearing the mask that was beginning to show its cracks.

 

“Eirika,” L’Arachel speaks, breaking the silence. “I may not understand what’s going on in your head right now, but I’ll say this. Whatever you saw is no longer the Lyon you once knew; what remains is the Demon King that is just wearing Lyon’s clothing. You and I both know that he must be defeated; not only for the good of Magvel, but for all of humanity.”

 

_‘If only it were truly that easy to defeat him…’_ L’Arachel tells herself.

 

Eirika’s answer was a simple stare to the ground, so the Rausten princess continues, gently cupping the other girl’s face in both her hands, wiping the tears away with her thumbs.

 

“Eirika. While I may have not known Prince Lyon myself, nor can I pretend to understand what great amount of sadness you must feel right now, at the very least I know this. If he _was_ here, the Lyon you were so close to, what do you think he would want you to do right now?”

 

“I…” Eirika begins to speak. “I don’t know…”

 

“Take as much time as you need to, dear. You don’t have to rush through things right now. Give it some thought so you can find an answer true to you and only you.”

 

L’Arachel gave a small smile, and that was all Eirika needed to wrap her arms around the other princess in a tight hug. L’Arachel was startled, but she reciprocated the action by returning the gesture, moving her own arms so the two could embrace, Eirika resting her chin on L’Arachel’s should while the other slowly combed her fingers through Eirika’s light blue hair, hoping it would calm her down even just a little bit.

 

The two of them stayed like that for what seemed like forever, until Eirika decided to speak again.

 

“L’Arachel.” Eirika speaks first.

 

“What is it?” L’Arachel asks.

 

“Thank you. For being there for me. I feel a little better now.” Eirika says, moving back a little from her embrace so she can give herself some space and look at L’Arachel in the eyes.

 

“I’m glad. I’ll always be here for you whenever you need a shoulder to cry on, you know that, right?”

“Mhmm.”

 

“Good. Now, I’m sure this has made the both of us exhausted, and hungry too. Let’s say we go get ourselves something to eat?"

 

“I like the sound of that. Thank you, L’Arachel.”


End file.
